Placement of tracking devices on pallets

ABSTRACT

Three approaches for attaching tracking devices to pallets. In a first approach, one or more electronic components of a tracking device are disposed within a cavity of a block of a pallet. In a second approach, one or more electronic components of a tracking device are disposed within a strut that interfaces between two beams of a pallet. In a third approach, one or more electronic components of a tracking device are disposed within a cavity of a beam.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/502,280, filed May 5, 2017, the contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to cargo transportationutilizing pallets, and more specifically to the placement of trackingdevices on pallets.

BACKGROUND

Monitoring pallet movement through a supply and distribution chain canaid in diagnosing issues with pallet loss and recovery, pallet damageand pallet cycle time. To achieve comprehensive monitoring, each palletmust be labeled with a unique identifier. In some systems, theseidentifiers are stored in tracking devices attached to the pallets. Thismay allow the pallet to be tracked as it moves through the supply chain.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Provided are pallets attached to or incorporating tracking devices.According to some embodiments of the invention, a pallet may beidentified and/or tracked using data obtained from the tracking devices.Thus, the status of pallets may be monitored (e.g., their location andother data) as they move through the supply chain.

According to some embodiments of the invention, a trackable transportstructure is provided. The trackable transport structure comprises apallet including a plurality of blocks and a plurality of beams. Thepallet comprises a block having a cavity, a lower longitudinal beamcoupled to a bottom side of the block, and an upper longitudinal beamcoupled to a top side of the block. The upper longitudinal beam issubstantially perpendicular to the lower longitudinal beam. Thetrackable transport structure further comprises a tracking devicecoupled to a portion of the pallet. The tracking device comprises one ormore electronic components disposed within the cavity and an antennacoupled to the one or more electronic components.

According to some embodiments of the invention, a trackable transportstructure is provided. The trackable transport structure comprises apallet including a plurality of blocks and a plurality of beams. Thepallet comprises a first lower longitudinal beam, a second lowerlongitudinal beam being substantially parallel to the first lowerlongitudinal beam, a first upper longitudinal beam being coupled to atop side of the first lower longitudinal beam and coupled to a top sideof the second lower longitudinal beam, and a second upper longitudinalbeam being coupled to the top side of the first lower longitudinal beamand coupled to the top side of the second lower longitudinal beam. Thesecond upper longitudinal beam is substantially parallel to the firstupper longitudinal beam. The trackable transport structure furthercomprises a strut coupled to the top side of the first lowerlongitudinal beam and coupled to the top side of the second lowerlongitudinal beam. The strut is substantially parallel to the firstupper longitudinal beam and the second upper longitudinal beam. Thetrackable transport structure further comprises a tracking device. Thetracking device comprises one or more electronic components disposedwithin the strut, and an antenna coupled to the one or more electroniccomponents.

According to some embodiments of the invention, a trackable transportstructure is provided. The trackable transport structure comprises apallet including a plurality of blocks and a plurality of beamsincluding a longitudinal beam. The longitudinal beam includes a cavityaccessible at a bottom side of the longitudinal beam. The trackabletransport structure further comprises a casing coupled to the bottomside of the longitudinal beam. The casing includes a cavity region atleast partially aligned with the cavity of the longitudinal beam. Thetrackable transport structure further comprises a tracking devicecoupled to one or both of the cavity of the longitudinal beam and thecavity region of the casing. The tracking device comprises one or moreelectronic components disposed within the cavity and an antenna coupledto the one or more electronic components.

This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features ofthe claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolationto determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject mattershould be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entirespecification of this patent, any or all drawings, and each claim.

The foregoing, together with other features and embodiments, will becomemore apparent upon referring to the following specification, claims, andaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is described in conjunction with the appendedfigures:

FIG. 1 shows a representation of a trackable transport structure,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a representation of a block, according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 3A shows a representation of a block, according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 3B shows a representation of a block, according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 shows a representation of a block, according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 5A shows a representation of a block, according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 5B shows a representation of a block, according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 5C shows a representation of a block, according to some embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 6A shows a representation of a trackable transport structure,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6B shows a representation of a trackable transport structure,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6C shows a representation of a trackable transport structure,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 shows a representation of a trackable transport structure,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 shows a representation of a half-length strut, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 shows a representation of a half-length strut, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10A shows a representation of a trackable transport structure,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10B shows a representation of a trackable transport structure,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 shows a representation of a trackable transport structure,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 shows a representation of a tracker-enclosed beam, according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 13 shows a representation of a tracker-enclosed beam, according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure.

In the appended figures, similar components and/or features can have thesame reference label. Further, various components of the same type canbe distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a secondlabel that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the firstreference label is used in the specification, the description isapplicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The ensuing description provides preferred exemplary embodiments only,and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configurationof the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the preferredexemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with anenabling description for implementing various embodiments. It isunderstood that various changes may be made in the function andarrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope asset forth in the appended claims.

Attaching electronic devices such as tracking devices to storage palletspresents numerous challenges. For example, attached devices that remainat least partially exposed are susceptible to damage from outsideconditions as well as damage from forklift maneuvering during normalpallet usage. Additionally, damage to devices that include a powersource such as a battery may lead to explosion and/or ignition of thepower source. Because typical pallet construction includes various typesof wood, prevention of battery explosion and/or ignition of the powersource may be particularly important.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include three approaches forattaching devices to pallets in a way that minimizes and/or mitigatesthe problems associated with the above-described challenges. In a firstapproach of the present disclosure (described in reference to FIGS. 1,2, 3A, 3B, 4, 5A, 5B, and 5C), a trackable transport structure isprovided having one or more electronic components of a tracking devicedisposed within a cavity of a block (e.g., center block of a pallet). Byplacing the device inside the block, the device is protected from beingdamaged from forklift maneuvering during normal pallet usage.Furthermore, the materials of the block can serve as a type of thermalinsulator to protect the device's batteries from outside conditions.

In a second approach of the present disclosure (described in referenceto FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, 7, 8, 9, 10A, and 10B), a trackable transportstructure is provided having one or more electronic components of atracking device disposed within a strut that interfaces between twobeams of a pallet. The strut may extend parallel to the two beams, andmay extend a full length of the pallet or a half-length of the pallet.The strut has a depth that is less than or equal to the depth of the twobeams such that items stored on the pallet do not physically contact thestrut. The tracking device may be inserted into the strut from a lateraldirection or from an upward vertical direction. The tracking device mayinclude an antenna facing an upward vertical direction, a downwardvertical direction or a lateral direction.

In a third approach of the present disclosure (described in reference toFIGS. 11, 12, and 13), a trackable transport structure is providedhaving one or more electronic components of a tracking device disposedwithin a cavity of a beam. The cavity may be accessible at the bottomside of the beam. For structural support and protection, the beam may becoupled to a casing such that the casing is coupled to the bottom sideof the beam and includes a cavity region (e.g., an aperture, a concaveportion, etc.) that is at least partially aligned with the cavity of thebeam. The tracking device may include a first antenna positioned withinthe cavity and facing an upward vertical direction or a downwardvertical direction, and a second antenna positioned on a lateral end ofthe beam facing an outward lateral direction.

As described herein, the term “tracking device” may refer to anyelectronic device that records or detects data related to one or moreof: position/location, velocity, acceleration, distance, rotation,altitude, temperature, humidity, pressure, sound, light, capacitance,inductance, resistance, voltage, chemical presence, and the like. Thetracking device may record data continuously, semi-continuously (e.g.,every 100 ms), intermittently, periodically, upon request and/or uponsatisfaction of one or more criteria. The tracking device may use onetype of recorded data to estimate another type of data (e.g., userecorded temperature and/or humidity data to estimate position data, oruse recorded distance data using three different satellites to estimateposition data).

In many instances, it is desirable to convert raw measurements recordedby the tracking device into more sophisticated, usable data viapost-processing of the raw measurements (e.g., convert satellitedistance data into a position estimate of the tracking device). In someembodiments, the tracking device may include one or more processors suchthat post-processing of raw measurements may be performed directlywithin the tracking device. In other embodiments, the tracking devicemay communicate and/or store the raw measurements such that a remotedevice including one or more processors may retrieve the rawmeasurements and perform the post-processing within the remote device.The tracking device may communicate with the remote device through awired or wireless communication channel (e.g., using an IEEE 802.11protocol). In some instances, a memory device coupled to the trackingdevice may be physically removed/detached from the tracking device andbe uploaded to the remote device.

Tracking devices described herein may be operable within any one ofvarious wireless communication technologies. For example, a trackingdevice described herein may be operable within any of the currentlyoperating global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), such as the UnitedStates' Global Positioning System (GPS), the Russian Global NavigationSatellite System (GLONASS), the Chinese BeiDou Satellite NavigationSystem, and the European Union's (EU) Galileo. A tracking device mayinclude an antenna, a radio-frequency (RF) front end, and one or moreprocessors. The antenna may be used to receive and/or transmit variouswireless signals. Wireless signals received by the antenna may be sentto the RF front end where digital samples are generated and routed tothe one or more processors. The one or more processors may generate aposition estimate of the tracking device based on the generated samples,and the position estimate may be transmitted to a separate device thatmonitors the current position of the tracking device. Other trackingtechniques are also possible, such as techniques that use cellularnetworks.

As described herein, a pallet may be any structure that supportsphysical assets for storage, presentation, handling, and/ortransportation. As used herein, the term “pallet” may be used todescribe any load carrier, including any type of platform, dolly, bin,container, and the like. The physical assets may be any physical assets,such as perishable or nonperishable physical goods. The pallet mayinclude a plurality of beams and blocks, and may be of any size, shape,and/or dimension, and may be made of any material or combination ofmaterials. The beams and blocks may be of any size, shape, and/ordimensions, and may be fastened together to form the pallet, or may beformed as a single unitary molded body. The top surface of the palletmay be flat and/or otherwise configured to support the shape and/orweight of the physical asset to be held on the pallet. Although shown ashaving a particular design in the various figures, it is contemplatedthat any design may be incorporated on or in the pallet. The beams andblocks may be sized and positioned to support the particular physicalasset. In some embodiments, the blocks may be sized and positioned toallow a forklift, crane, or jacking device to engage and lift the palletbetween the blocks. A pallet may be made of any suitable material,including wood, plastic, metal, and/or the like.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a trackable transportstructure 100 is shown, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Trackable transport structure 100 includes a tracking device150 that is secured, attached, connected, and/or coupled to a portion ofa pallet 105. As described above, pallet 105 may be any type of flattransport structure that supports physical assets while being lifted bya forklift, front loader, pallet jack, crane, etc. In some embodiments,pallet 105 includes a plurality of blocks and beams (e.g., boards)fastened together through one or more of several fastening meansincluding nails, screws, glue, tape, ropes, strings, wires, cables,chains, hinges, magnets, and the like. In some embodiments in which thepallet 105 is plastic, for example, the pallet 105 including the blocksand beams may comprise a single molded unitary body. The blocks andbeams may be composed of one or more of several types of materialsincluding wood, plastic, metal, composite, and the like, and may havevarious shapes and dimensions. For example, the blocks of pallet 105 maybe of a roughly cubic shape and may have a roughly square or a roughlyrectangular cross section. As shown in FIG. 1, pallet 105 may includenine blocks coupled on the top side and bottom side to longitudinalbeams (i.e., beams that extend in the longitudinal and/or the lateraldirection). Various rows and layers of longitudinal beams may beincorporated into pallet 105 to give trackable transport structure 100additional strength and rigidity as needed for a particular application.

One or more of the blocks of pallet 105 may be hollow or partiallyhollow such that one or more components of tracking device 150 may bedisposed in the interior of one or more blocks. For example, a block 110at the center of pallet 105 may include a cavity having a shape at leastas large as the tracking device 150 such that the tracking device 150may be completely enclosed by the cavity. Enclosing tracking device 150in block 110 reduces the potential damage due to impacts from the forksof a forklift. In some instances, one or more components of trackingdevice 150, such as an antenna, may be positioned either inside thecavity of block 110 or on an exterior surface of block 110 (e.g., topside, bottom side, four lateral sides) or on an exterior surface of someother component of pallet 105. For example, because electromagneticwaves generated and/or received from the antenna may be distorted and/orblocked by items placed on pallet 105 as well as by the material ofpallet 105 itself, the antenna may be positioned in an antenna cavity113 on a lateral exterior surface of block 110.

Although tracking device 150 is shown in FIG. 1 as being coupled toblock 110, in some embodiments tracking device 150 may be coupled to anyof the non-center blocks of pallet 105. For example, in some embodimentscertain non-center blocks may provide better damage protection and/orbetter antenna performance than block 110. In some embodiments, toprovide further protection from damage, tracking device 150 may bewrapped in bubble wrap or some other protective material.

In some embodiments, a top side of a lower longitudinal beam 115 iscoupled to a bottom side of block 110, and a bottom side of an upperlongitudinal beam 120 is coupled to a top side of block 110. Lowerlongitudinal beam 115 may be perpendicular or parallel to upperlongitudinal beam 120, or may form some angle with respect to upperlongitudinal beam 120. In some embodiments, block 110 is coupled to acenter portion of lower longitudinal beam 115 and a center portion ofupper longitudinal beam 120. In some embodiments, block 110 is coupledto a center portion of lower longitudinal beam 115 and an end portion ofupper longitudinal beam 120. In some embodiments, block 110 is coupledto an end portion of lower longitudinal beam 115 and a center portion ofupper longitudinal beam 120. In some embodiments, block 110 is coupledto an end portion of lower longitudinal beam 115 and an end portion ofupper longitudinal beam 120.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a perspective view of block 110 is shown,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In someinstances, block 110 includes a device cavity 111 for enclosing one ormore components of tracking device 150, a wire cavity 112 for enclosingan antenna lead of tracking device 150, and an antenna cavity 113 forenclosing an antenna of tracking device 150. In some instances, antennacavity 113 is sized such that it is 1 mm to 10 mm in depth such that arelatively flat antenna (e.g., patch antenna) having a similar orsmaller depth may be coupled to antenna cavity 113 and may receivereduced damage from glancing impacts to block 110. Optionally, insteadof wire cavity 112 extending along an exterior surface of block 110 asshown in FIG. 2, it may include a cylindrical tunnel extending from acenter portion of device cavity 111 through to a center portion ofantenna cavity 113.

As shown in FIG. 2, device cavity 111 may be rotated/oriented such thatthe majority or all of the cut lines are not parallel to the grain ofthe wood (e.g., in embodiments in which block 110 is composed of wood).For example, when the grain of the wood runs parallel to any of theexterior surfaces of block 110, device cavity 111 may berotated/oriented such that the cut lines of device cavity 111 are notparallel to exterior surfaces of block 110. By configuring block 110 asdescribed, the lifespan of the block is improved by reducing theprobability of structural failure due to collapsing along a grain of thewood.

Referring now to FIG. 3A, a perspective view of block 110 with a cover114 is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.Cover 114 may be a metal plate (e.g., steel plate) having one or moreapertures 116 and may be coupled to a top side and/or a bottom side ofblock 110. Apertures 116 may serve as screw or nail holes allowing block110 to be fastened using screws or nails penetrating into block 110 viaapertures 116. Cover 114 provides a protective layer for tracking device150 without compromising the ability to fasten block 110 to surroundingbeams. Cover 114 may be provided on both the top side and the bottomside of block 110, and may be positioned such that it is not alignedwith antenna cavity 113.

Referring now to FIG. 3B, a top view of block 110 with cover 114 isshown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.Non-bracketed dimensions are in mm and bracketed dimensions are ininches. In general, the diameters of apertures 116 are such that screwsor nails may be reliably inserted and the locations of apertures 116 aresuch that no components of tracking device 150 may be interfered with bythe screws or nails.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a perspective view of block 110 is shown,according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Block 110 mayinclude a roughly diagonal device cavity 111 that roughly extends fromone corner of block 110 to an opposite corner of block 110. The antennaof tracking device 150 may be disposed within device cavity 111 suchthat it faces outward of block 110 at an angle.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C, a perspective view, a side view,and a top view of block 110 are shown, respectively, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. Non-bracketed dimensions are inmm and bracketed dimensions are in inches. In reference to FIG. 5C, itcan be observed that device cavity 111 may be cut such that no cut linesare parallel to the grain of the wood.

Referring now to FIG. 6A, a perspective view of a trackable transportstructure 200 is shown, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. One or more properties of trackable transport structure 200and pallet 205 may be similar to those described in reference totrackable transport structure 100 and pallet 105. Trackable transportstructure 200 may include a half-length strut 211 that is coupled to atop side of a lower longitudinal beam 215 a and to a top side of a lowerlongitudinal beam 215 b. Half-length strut 211 may extend and interfacebetween an upper longitudinal beam 220 a and an upper longitudinal beam220 b. Upper longitudinal beam 220 a may be coupled to the top side oflower longitudinal beam 215 a and may be coupled to the top side oflower longitudinal beam 215 b. Similarly, upper longitudinal beam 220 bmay be coupled to the top side of lower longitudinal beam 215 a and maybe coupled to the top side of lower longitudinal beam 215 b. Upperlongitudinal beam 220 a may be parallel to upper longitudinal beam 220b, and both upper longitudinal beams 220 may be parallel to half-lengthstrut 211.

Although half-length strut 211 is shown in FIG. 6A as extending andinterfacing between upper longitudinal beams 220 a and 220 b, it may beconfigured in a number of different positions. For example, in someembodiments, half-length strut 211 may be positioned between lowerlongitudinal beams 215 a and 215 b such that the top side of half-lengthstrut 211 is coupled to the bottom side of one or more upperlongitudinal beams 220. As another example, half-length strut 211 may bepositioned between two blocks such that either the top side ofhalf-length strut 211 is coupled to the bottom side of one or morelongitudinal beams or the bottom side of half-length strut is coupled tothe top side of one or more longitudinal beams, such as the beams belowthe blocks.

Referring now to FIG. 6B, a perspective view of trackable transportstructure 200 is shown, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Half-length strut 211 may be configured such that its heightis less than or equal to the height/depth of upper longitudinal beams220. Furthermore, half-length strut 211 may be coupled to one or both ofupper longitudinal beams 220 a and 220 b along the side of half-lengthstrut 211. In a preferred embodiment of trackable transport structure200, half-length strut 211 may be coupled to only one of upperlongitudinal beams 220 a and 220 b along the side of half-length strut211 such that a gap 271 exists between half-length strut 211 and one ofthe beams and such that independent movement of the two beams does notcause lateral compression of half-length strut 211. In another preferredembodiment of trackable transport structure 200, the length andpositioning of half-length strut 211 is such that a gap 272 existsbetween half-length strut 211 and the edge of pallet 205 and such thatimpacts from the forks of a forklift or from adjacent pallets havereduced potential damage to half-length strut 211.

Referring now to FIG. 6C, a top view of trackable transport structure200 is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.In some embodiments, half-length strut 211 is coupled to the top side oflower longitudinal beams 215 a and 215 b using screw or nail holespositioned on half-strut 211 such that two of the holes are aligned withlower longitudinal beam 215 a and the other two holes are aligned withlower longitudinal beam 215 b.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a top view of trackable transport structure 200is shown, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.Trackable transport structure 200 may include a full-length strut 212that extends and interfaces between upper longitudinal beam 220 a andupper longitudinal beam 220 b, similar to half-length strut 211, butalso couples to the top side of lower longitudinal beam 215 c. The addedlength of full-length strut 212 compared to half-length strut 211 mayprovide improved stability of the strut because an additional securementpoint (i.e., lower longitudinal beam 215 c) may be utilized. The addedlength also allows a larger device to be coupled with full-length strut212 compared to half-length strut 211.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a side view of half-length strut 211 (orfull-length strut 212) is shown, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Non-bracketed dimensions are in mm and bracketeddimensions are in inches. In some embodiments, half-length strut 211(and similarly full-length strut 212) is configured such that a trackingdevice 250 (or a containing element surrounding a portion of trackingdevice 250) may be inserted into half-length strut 211 from the lateralend, from the top side, and/or from the bottom side of half-length strut211. For example, tracking device 250 may include one or more componentshaving a rectangular-shaped packaging which may be inserted intohalf-length strut 211 from the lateral end of half-length strut 211 suchthat the packaging is secured within half-length strut 211. As shown inFIG. 8, half-length strut 211 may include two U-shaped prongs thatextend upward to secure tracking device 250. In some embodiments,portions of half-length strut 211 may include an impediment (e.g., awall) to provide a stopping/resting point for tracking device 250 whenit is inserted into half-length strut 211.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a side view of half-length strut 211 (orfull-length strut 212) is shown, according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Non-bracketed dimensions are in mm and bracketeddimensions are in inches. As shown in FIG. 9, half-length strut 211 mayinclude two L-shaped prongs that extend upward to secure tracking device250.

Referring now to FIGS. 10A and 10B, exploded, perspective views oftrackable transport structure 200 are shown, according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. Tracking device 250 may includeone or more batteries 251 that may be positioned within tracking device250 such that they are aligned with a midpoint between lowerlongitudinal beams 215 a and 215 b or are aligned with a midpointbetween lower longitudinal beams 215 b and 215 c such that batteries 251are at a greater distance from the portions of pallet 205 where screwsand/or nails may be inserted. In some embodiments in which a full-lengthstrut 212 is utilized, tracking device 250 may include two separateportions with batteries 251 such that half of batteries 251 arepositioned within tracking device 250 such that they are aligned with amidpoint between lower longitudinal beams 215 a and 215 b and the otherhalf of batteries 251 are positioned within tracking device 250 suchthat they are aligned with a midpoint between lower longitudinal beams215 b and 215 c.

The antenna of tracking device 250 may have one of severalconfigurations. For example, in some embodiments, the antenna may bepositioned along the top side of tracking device 250 and may face theupward vertical direction. In some embodiments, the antenna may bepositioned along the bottom side of tracking device 250 and may face thedownward vertical direction. In embodiments in which the antenna facesdownward, one or more apertures may be provided along the bottom side ofhalf-length strut 211 and full-length strut 212 such that the antenna isnot impeded. In some embodiments, the antenna may be positioned alongthe lateral side of tracking device 250 and face the outward direction.For example, the antenna may face the direction of the opening of thestrut through which tracking device 250 was inserted. In someembodiments, tracking device 250 includes multiple antennas using anycombination of the above mentioned configurations.

Referring now to FIG. 11, a perspective view of a trackable transportstructure 300 is shown, according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. One or more properties of trackable transport structure 300may be similar to those described in reference to trackable transportstructures 100 and 200, and one or more properties of pallet 305 may besimilar to those described in reference to pallets 105 and 205.Trackable transport structure 300 may include a tracker-enclosed beam321 which may include an upper longitudinal beam 320 coupled to a casing318 or may include a single integrated component. In some embodiments,trackable transport structure 300 may be coupled to the top side oflower longitudinal beams 315 a, 315 b, and 315 c.

Although tracker-enclosed beam 321 is shown in FIG. 11 as an upperlongitudinal beam, tracker-enclosed beam 321 may include any beam ofpallet 305, including non-center beams and beams above or below theblocks of pallet 305. Considerations for determining which beam ofpallet 305 to position tracker-enclosed beam 321 include antennaperformance and risk of damage from potential forklift impacts.

Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, exploded, perspective views oftracker-enclosed beam 321 are shown, according to some embodiments ofthe present disclosure. Tracker-enclosed beam 321 may include a casing318 for coupling to the bottom side of upper longitudinal beam 320.Casing 318 may include several apertures 316 for allowing screws ornails penetrating through upper longitudinal beam 320 to pass throughcasing 318. For example, in some embodiments, casing 318 is composed ofmetal and upper longitudinal beam 320 is composed of wood and thereforescrews and nails may pass through both casing 318 and upper longitudinalbeam 320 when inserted along apertures 316.

In some embodiments, tracker-enclosed beam 321 includes a device cavity311 for enclosing tracking device 350. Device cavity 311 may include acavity in both casing 318 and upper longitudinal beam 320 (as shown inFIG. 12), or a cavity in upper longitudinal beam 320 and an alignedaperture in casing 318. For example, in some embodiments, to accommodatean upward facing antenna it may be advantageous to include an alignedaperture in casing 318 to not impede the upward-facing antenna. Devicecavity 311 may be positioned such that batteries 351 of tracking device350 may be positioned near a midpoint between apertures 316 a and 316 b.In some embodiments, tracker-enclosed beam 321 includes a cover 314 forproviding a flat surface along the bottom side of tracker-enclosed beam321 and for protecting tracker device 350.

In some embodiments, tracker-enclosed beam 321 includes an antennacavity 313 and a wire cavity 312 for accommodating a an antenna 352 andan antenna lead (e.g., antenna wire 353), respectively. Antenna cavity313 may be placed on a lateral end of tracker-enclosed beam 321 suchthat the antenna faces an outward lateral direction. Wire cavity 312 mayextend along the bottom side of (or internally within) tracker-enclosedbeam 321 such that antenna 352 may be electrically coupled with othercomponents of tracking device 350. In some instances, antenna cavity 313is sized such that it is 1 mm to 10 mm in depth such that a relativelyflat antenna (e.g., patch antenna) having a similar or smaller depth maybe coupled to antenna cavity 313 and may receive less damage fromglancing impacts to pallet 305.

In some embodiments, antenna wire 353 may be coupled to the insidesurface of casing 318 such that it circumvents aperture 316 a (as shownin FIG. 13). By circumventing aperture 316 a, antenna wire 353 may beprotected from screws and nails passing through aperture 316 a.

In some embodiments, casing 318 may be attached to upper longitudinalbeam 320 without modifying upper longitudinal beam 320 such that upperlongitudinal beam 320 may be any one of various types of standard beamsand boards. In other embodiments, upper longitudinal beam 320 ismodified (e.g., hollowing, cutting) such that casing 318 may be attachedmore seamlessly and may, in some instances, allow tracker-enclosed beam321 to appear as a standard beam or board. In some instances, casing 318attaches to a standard beam or board in such a way as to increase,either slightly or significantly, the vertical depth/height of the beam.

What is claimed is:
 1. A trackable transport structure comprising: apallet including a plurality of blocks and a plurality of beams, thepallet comprising: a block having a cavity; a lower longitudinal beamcoupled to a bottom side of the block; and an upper longitudinal beamcoupled to a top side of the block, the upper longitudinal beam beingsubstantially perpendicular to the lower longitudinal beam; and atracking device coupled to a portion of the pallet, the tracking devicecomprising: one or more electronic components disposed within thecavity; and an antenna coupled to the one or more electronic components.2. The trackable transport structure of claim 1, wherein the trackingdevice is positioned within the cavity.
 3. The trackable transportstructure of claim 1, wherein the pallet is formed of plastic.
 4. Thetrackable transport structure of claim 1, wherein the block includes anantenna cavity, and wherein the antenna is positioned within the antennacavity.
 5. The trackable transport structure of claim 1, wherein thepallet is formed of wood.
 6. The trackable transport structure of claim1, wherein the block includes a removable cover positioned over thecavity.
 7. The trackable transport structure of claim 1, furthercomprising a protective material surrounding the tracking device.
 8. Atrackable transport structure comprising: a pallet including a pluralityof blocks and a plurality of beams, the pallet comprising: a first lowerlongitudinal beam; a second lower longitudinal beam being substantiallyparallel to the first lower longitudinal beam; a first upperlongitudinal beam being coupled to a top side of the first lowerlongitudinal beam and coupled to a top side of the second lowerlongitudinal beam; and a second upper longitudinal beam being coupled tothe top side of the first lower longitudinal beam and coupled to the topside of the second lower longitudinal beam, the second upperlongitudinal beam being substantially parallel to the first upperlongitudinal beam; a strut coupled to the top side of the first lowerlongitudinal beam and coupled to the top side of the second lowerlongitudinal beam, the strut being substantially parallel to the firstupper longitudinal beam and the second upper longitudinal beam; and atracking device comprising: one or more electronic components disposedwithin the strut; and an antenna coupled to the one or more electroniccomponents.
 9. The trackable transport structure of claim 8, wherein thestrut extends and interfaces between the first upper longitudinal beamand the second upper longitudinal beam.
 10. The trackable transportstructure of claim 8, wherein the tracking device is coupled to thestrut.
 11. The trackable transport structure of claim 8, wherein thepallet is formed of wood.
 12. The trackable transport structure of claim8, wherein the pallet is formed of plastic.
 13. The trackable transportstructure of claim 8, wherein the strut is formed of metal.
 14. Atrackable transport structure comprising: a pallet including a pluralityof blocks and a plurality of beams including a longitudinal beam,wherein the longitudinal beam includes a cavity accessible at a bottomside of the longitudinal beam: a casing coupled to the bottom side ofthe longitudinal beam, the casing including a cavity region at leastpartially aligned with the cavity of the longitudinal beam; a trackingdevice coupled to one or both of the cavity of the longitudinal beam andthe cavity region of the casing, the tracking device comprising: one ormore electronic components disposed within the cavity; and an antennacoupled to the one or more electronic components.
 15. The trackabletransport structure of claim 14, wherein the tracking device ispositioned within the cavity of the longitudinal beam.
 16. The trackabletransport structure of claim 14, wherein the tracking device ispositioned within the cavity region of the casing.
 17. The trackabletransport structure of claim 14, wherein the pallet is formed ofplastic.
 18. The trackable transport structure of claim 14, wherein thepallet is formed of wood.
 19. The trackable transport structure of claim14, further comprising a protective material surrounding the trackingdevice.
 20. The trackable transport structure of claim 14, furthercomprising a removable cover positioned over one or both of the cavityof the longitudinal beam and the cavity region of the casing.